


Distracted

by Isolatedwriting



Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020), DCU (Comics), Harley Quinn (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, F/F, Harley is a non-bender, Ivys an earth bender, So its an ALTA AU, enjoy i guess, idk what to tell ya, it just fell outta me and here it is, its about earth bender fighting rings, just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23985235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isolatedwriting/pseuds/Isolatedwriting
Summary: "She was obsessed with the technique. She wanted to dodge those attacks, sees how close she could make it to Poison before being stuck down."Or:The Avatar AU no one asked for. I cannot tell you where this came from or why its so long.Harley is obsessed with an earth bender from the ring. Meanwhile, she meets a woman in the tea shop across from the arena and sparks fly.
Relationships: Pamela Isley & Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel
Comments: 10
Kudos: 144





	Distracted

**Author's Note:**

> I dont know what version of harley this is, or what version of ivy this is. Enjoy!

Word had taken over the city overnight. That she had returned to the ring.

Mother Nature herself, some would say. Others might venture to guess she was a hoax, a fix for the betting office when they were all but cleaned out. But Harley knew that kind of earth bending couldn’t be faked. That was simple mastery.

Poison was the best fighter in the game. Harley wasn’t a stranger to the fighter game, but being a non-bender herself, was heartbroken that she would never experience the thrill of dodging a million giant rocks of clay being hurtled at her all at once. 

Of course, she got that for free on the streets, but watching the Professionals was what really got her blood pumping. Plus, the low tier benders never even came close to hitting her. 

And Poison was the best of all. She was almost never at the games, and seemed to surprise even the judges with her appearances. But she had never left without the Championship belt, and the big money pay-out.

So, when she appeared on the main stage, and Harley got back from the bathroom quickly enough to catch her toss a man easily out of bounds, she howled like a wolf on the full moon. 

Finally something interesting. There was never enough blood in the dirt at the end of a normal tournament. Harley fought her way through the crowds, back to her seat. Beer in hand (only half spilled) she screamed along with the rest of the crowd; eyes glued to the woman cloaked in green.

She stood, alone in the ring, waiting for her next opponent. They were about three rounds in when she must have made her appearance. No one else could walk their way into a fight like that. But no one else had the kinda sway Poison did. 

Harley watched another giant man stop on the platform, and booed him as loud as she could, her hands cupped around her mouth. 

Poison always kept her face covered, being more of a mystery competitor than a focused athlete, but Harley could swear she see her smirking. 

“TOSS HIM OFF THE STAGE!” Harley bellowed, while the rest of her beer went flying out behind her. She felt a rough push from behind, a soaked fellow patron shooting her a sneer and some crude words, Harley just gave him the finger and spun on her heel as the claxon rang. 

For a moment, the new competitor, some guy Harley had never seen (and that meant something, Harley rarely missed the tournaments), circled Poison, who held her position. She always built the tension. It was like watching a slow-motion car crash and Harley was enchanted by it. 

Harley could already spot three things he had done wrong before be attacked, a quick test shot to see how Poison would react. Big mistake. 

Poison didn’t even move; it was like the clay surrounding her moved with the will of her mind alone. It drew her down, swallowing her below the shot, out of harm’s way. The crowd erupted. Thirsting for immanent destruction. 

The other competitor seemed shook by the move, freezing for a moment in his confusion. It was enough to end the fight. The earth under him flew upward in a thrust that sent him hurtling towards the crowds.   
Harley watched them run before his runaway body could crush the people sitting there. She couldn’t help cackling wildly, adrenaline pumping at the way the seats cracked. 

Poison’s surprise drop ins had only begun about four months ago. Dressed in her green robes with her green veil and her deadly precision, she had swept the leader boards pretty quickly, and with only a few actual appearances under her belt. It really was something.   
And seeing a woman on the stage didn’t hurt either. 

But today was special. Today, Harley decided then and there that she was going to meet this woman. No matter what it took. 

After the tournament (which if course Poison won, and no one dared to challenge her), Harley waited patiently outside the arena. The athletes usually left last, so she waited around. It was warm out, but by the time they closed up, she was shivering, and there was no sign if anyone that matched the descriptions Harley had heard. 

Not one to be slowed by obstacles, she approached the staff member locking up. 

“So... what’s a gal gotta do to meet the fighters?” She tried being coy, but when the young man turned around, quirked an eyebrow, she broke immediately.   
“How often before does Poison usually show? I know you don’t gotta tell me but c’mon, be a pal!”

Turns out he was a nice guy. Told her a lot of stuff, mostly useless shit, but that Poison always slipped in after the crowds. That’s why she was never seen. No one had ever seen her leave. That part got Harley excited. She loved a mystery. 

She figured getting to her before the match was the best way to go about it. So she set about charting a course. 

Sadly, there weren’t many decent bars Harley was allowed in anymore around the area, but there was a little tea shop across the road, where she could keep her eyes on the doors, and keep herself highly caffeinated in the process. A perfect stake out spot. 

However, the cruel reality that Harley had known the whole time but forgotten in her tracking, was that Poison almost never showed. She dropped by when she wanted too.

There was a match every Saturday. Poison didn’t go for the low leagues, so that gave Harley some form of schedule. 

But after four weeks of a no show for Poison in the ring, and nothing for her pin board, Harley was starting to lose patience. 

For her, this was impressive, though when a scheme lines up perfectly with her interests like this one, that’s something special. 

So, for the fifth week in a row, Harley found herself in front of a cup of too hot coffee, fifteen minutes before the games were due to start. Strategic. She had her notebook and her pen handy, and even wore her glasses for the best possible sighting chances. 

It was busy today, more so than usual, with the little café full of student flooding in from Gotham U, getting their fix. Harley figured it must be coming up to exam season. She could never remember that kinda stuff.   
She had claimed her favourite seat by the window (the vantage point), and was lucky to have it, since there were almost no seats left. 

Harley got comfortable, legs twitching with the effort to not rest them on the table, when a voice rang out beside her, waking her. Harley realised she maybe wasn’t in the moment as much as she should be while tracking down her perp. 

“Hi, sorry, can I sit here?”

Harley’s eyes darted up, to meet the gaze of a stranger. A beautiful stranger, that was. 

“S-sure.” She quickly answered, shimming back from the table as if she were in the way. The other seat being directly across from her, this was not the case. Harley just hoped this person hadn’t seen her smash her knee into the table. 

The stranger murmured her thanks and took a seat. Harley hoped she wasn’t staring, but this woman, wearing sunglasses indoors at night, intrigued her. 

Sadly, it seems all she was interested in herself was reading her book. It sat open in front of her, some thick tome of science, that even from a distance made Harley’s head hurt. Again, she realised she was probably staring, and looked out the window, only to find the crowd that was outside before disappeared. She frowned and took a drink. 

She spluttered it back into the cup immediately. It was cold. 

‘What the fuck?’ She thought, glancing up at her companion to make sure she hadn’t seen her spit. 

Unfortunately, it seems she had. Harley couldn’t see her eyes behind her glasses, but she was smiling, and struggled to hide it when Harley looked over. 

“Sorry.” Harley whispered, an awkward grin on her lips, and the other woman relaxed. 

“It’s okay... we all space out sometimes.” She went to stand, graceful in her movements, and bared her teeth back down at Harley. “Have a nice day, darling.”

Harley could swear she was in the middle of a cardiac arrest, and by the time she came back down to earth, the woman was gone. 

After that, Harley didn’t feel as exhausted by her weekly exertions. She was after two targets now. It made it twice as likely she might see one. It made her heart race. 

The next week, both were a no show, and Harley learned she had missed Poison in the chaos of a hot missed connection the previous week. It made her even more determined. 

Meanwhile, Harley spent her time fighting with the rest of the street brawlers. She was making a little name for herself, with her gymnastics and wicked left hook. It was a nice distraction, and it was bringing in the money she desperately needed to afford one take out coffee a week (prices were going up for them faster than gasoline, she swore it. She didn’t need to drive to prove that.)

Her apartment was dingy, but it worked. She hadn’t been on her own long enough to build any kind of life, but she was getting there. Day by day. No job though, jobs were for suckers. When she couldn’t hit people for money anymore, she would look into it. 

The tea shop remained busy, and Harley worked on her focusing skills, but still, no sign of her future possible fighting coach, or the particularly stunning redhead she had seen before. 

It was another three weeks for one to show their face. The stranger, stunning as always, sitting at their same table. She had gotten there before Harley this time, still looking down at her book. She had a cup of green tea in front of her, and Harley felt a surge of confidence at the repetitive nature of life. 

She was even sitting in the same seat she had last time. 

“You’re sitting at my favourite table.” Harley blurted out when she found herself next to her usual seat. 

The woman in green looked up at over the rims of her sunglasses, a fleck of recognition in her eyes. Also green, Harley noted quickly. She thanked her glasses for that, and hasted to get them off her face once she realised that meant that she was, in fact, wearing her dorky old glasses in front of this glamazon. 

“I sensed as much.” She replied, a little smirk playing on her lips. “But I didn’t see your name here, so I decided to chance it.”

Harley smiled. “You don’t know my name.”

That woman hummed out an agreement. “Yes, that’s true, what is your name then, sweetheart?”

“I’m Harley.”

“Ivy.” The woman replied. She reached out her hand to shake, and Harley rushed to juggle her wallet and drink in one hand hastily to respond. “Please sit.” Ivy continued, and Harley dumped her pile of items on the table and sat as quickly as she could, murmuring her thanks. 

She felt a little awkward now. She had spent so much time focusing in tracking, she hadn’t planned on engaging with a target. 

However, the woman - Ivy – closed her book, and Harley figured she was in for the long run. 

“So, are you here every Saturday, or just the days I’m here?”

Harley startled easily, but with women involved it was much clearer on her face. “Every Saturday! I swear I’m no weirdo!” 

Ivy laughed, and Harley found the sound to be delightful. Harsh; it made her want to laugh too. She liked that. 

“Good, I don’t share tables with weirdos.” 

Harley officially liked her now. 

“Are you from around here?” Harley asked, trying to fill the space in the air when her thought process ran a blank. 

“Yes and no.” Ivy replied. “Its always on my route though, so I find myself here plenty. And you?”

“Oh, I’m always here before the matches!” Harley gestured outside towards the area. “Just something I’m doing now.” 

“Okay.” Ivy’s eyebrows sat high on her face, but she seemed amused by her, so Harley was taking it as a win. “So, are you a bender?”

“No, just the standard model, but I still know that with bending its just ... more, y’know?”

“Yes, of course.” Ivy slid the sunglasses off her face, carefully as to not snag her hair. Her eyes were an even more of a stunning green without the frames in the way. Harley felt nervous again. 

“Are you a bender?” Harley choked out. Ivy didn’t miss the way she faltered.

“Yes.”

“Are you any good?”

Ivy seemed to take some offence. “I’ll have you know, I am very good.” 

Harley grinned. “I’d like to see it one day.” 

“I’ll make sure to bring a demonstration next time then.”

They talked for only a few more moments, and Harley learned that Ivy was doing her PHD, in Botany which Harley found funny, being that she could leady control the dirt. She asked if Ivy was aiming for plant domination next. 

“Plants cant be manipulated the way earth can, but with some encouragement... we’ll see someday.”

Harley, who had drunk most of her huge, sugary drink by then, excused herself to the bathroom. When she returned, Ivy was gone, but she left a little note behind her. 

‘I’ll see you next week... with that show x  
-Ivy’

Harley went to the games after that, riding a high that she wasn’t sure she could have burned off any other way. 

To cap it off, just as she sat in her seat, Poison glided onto the stage. Harley couldn’t believe her luck today.

She watched her knock a record nine men into the stands. Once with an impressive double hit to the knees that Harley was sure would never heal again. 

She was obsessed with the technique. She wanted to dodge those attacks, sees how close she could make it to Poison before being stuck down. 

She left with an extra pep in her step. She had to put tonight down as a success. Even as she had to acknowledge she had nothing new to go on with Poison, she had talked to Ivy, and she would see her again. 

She went back to her apartment, fed her catdogs, and slept like a log. 

True to her word, when Harley arrived in the tea shop, Ivy sat there already, with her drink already steaming in front of her, and a little wilting plant too. 

“Hello again.” Harley greeted, sliding into the seat across from Ivy without the theatrics. She watched Ivy, just like before, slide her glasses off and close over her book. “Won’t you lose your page?”

“I’ve read it before.” Ivy answered easily, focusing her energy on Harley entirely. It felt good to have someone look at her again. She’d been split from... him for well over a year now. The 12 step programme says that’s usually long enough to maybe try dating again. She wanted someone to look at her special again. 

She supposed she hadn’t ever really felt that before. She craved it now.

As she preened under Ivy’s gaze, the woman herself gestured down towards her plant. “So I realised that it might be hard to give you an impressive presentation indoors. But I thought I could show you something I’ve been working on.”

Harley nodded. She’d almost forgotten the promised show, in the excitement of being around her again, but she was never one to say no to a pretty girl. 

So she nodded, looking down at the measly little rose in the pot. It was dripping petals, barely alive. It kinda made Harley sad to look at. 

Ivy raised her hands, and suddenly dug her fingers deep into the soil. Her eyes were closed when Harley dragged her eyes away from the way she penetrated the earth. Before she could get lost in the chance stare unabashedly, the rose began to change. The once dull petals began to bloom with life, back to a vibrant red, becoming fleshy and strong. 

It wasn’t at all like a fight, but Harley felt that same thrill of excitement at the sight. 

“Oh my god!” she squealed, drawing the attention of some other disapproving customers. She didn’t even notice, but Ivy gave them a look over Harley’s shoulders as she bowed her head to properly examine the plant. It looked perfect, like it came right out of a fairy tale. 

Ivy carefully wiped her hands off on some wipes she must have pulled from her bag. “What do you think?”  
“I think what you just did is a goddamn miracle, Red!”   
Ivy flushed, deeply, and Harley felt such a sudden need to make that happen again. 

“Red?”

“Huh?” Harley asked, still a little dazed.

“You called me Red.” Ivy replied, smiling a little coyly. 

“Oh, sorry it just kinda came outta me, I can stop if you want.” 

Ivy shook her head. “No... I liked it.” 

Harley felt that confidence come back all at once. Ivy’s rose sat between them in full bloom, its pot seeming much too small for it now. Harley reached out gingerly to touch it. 

“What was that?”

Ivy shrugged. “Some creative bending, and an element of prep work, you need to make sure the correct pH levels , water, and such is all in place beforehand. But its worth it.”

“You can say that again!”

Harley had never seen something so nonviolent but so compelling. She looked back up at Ivy with a grin, and found her regarding her, head cocked to the side a little. It was so endearing Harley couldn’t help but giggle, even if she did feel a little like a dumb blonde in front of someone like Ivy. 

Ivy didn’t have the same notions of herself it seemed, because she caught Harley’s giggles with a snort in her throat. Harley felt her stomach fluttering off. 

“Thank you for the show. Can I tip you with another, uh, tea?” 

Ivy glanced out the window for a moment, before her shoulders dropped and she relaxed into her seat. “I never say no to free drinks.” 

Harley leapt up to order, only glancing back twice to make Ivy stayed put. She had learned from last time. 

She left with a little rose in a pot, and skipped the games to bring it home and get it into a bigger pot. Okay, not so much a pot, as a cereal box she has cut up to best hold a plant. 

Better yet, Ivy agreed to meet her again next week. Harley hadn’t been so excited for a week to pass since she had gotten a little too into Game of Thrones. And that was saying something. 

There was little Harley didn’t want to know about Ivy. She found herself making lists in her head of everything she thought of that she wanted to ask, but once she was in front of her, it all flew out the window.   
Ivy would say something so not witty Harley would have to laugh, and they would talk about nothing until the shop closed some nights. 

“So you’ve never been to the roller derby? How?!” 

Harley was aghast, but also extremely excited at the prospect of getting Ivy out on skates.

Or really getting Ivy anywhere outside of the shop. She wanted to see more of her. She wanted to see her bedroom honestly. 

At the same time, she had been categorising Poison’s moves. Her new favourite was a series of quick pebbles that flew at their target like cannonballs. It never missed. Not that Poison ever missed anyway, but even Harley couldn’t see a way out of that one. 

It had been four ‘dates’ (as Harley had decided to deem them), and they were meeting up again, only a week later than the last. 

“I never have the time! With college I barely get time to go to the park. I barely see this city outside of my apartment, the campus, and here.”

“Wow, that must make here pretty special then.” Harley teased. She’d folded her legs under herself on the seat, and so far no one had come to give out to her. She was on cloud nine today. 

“Mm, something like that.” Ivy replied, taking a bite of her scone. She was looking especially gorgeous today. Harley didn’t know what it was, she didn’t spot anything especially different, but she was captivated by every word she said. 

“Maybe I can show you around sometime, see the place properly, get that local flavour?”

Ivy seemed to like that idea, and they found themselves out later that night at one of Harley's favourite bender watching spots. It wasn’t too far from the park, and was mainly just a ditched construction site as far as she could tell, but night or day there was always some young person throwing dirt around like there was no tomorrow. 

Harley had been to so many professional fights at this stage that it was almost boring her now. 

Today there were four of them, a group of people maybe a bit younger than themselves, having a very mid-level duel. Sure, there was that lick of danger involved, but clearly no real threat. Ivy raised a bench for them from the ground, and relaxed back onto it, resting on her hands. 

“This is a perfect spot to learn in, I wish I had had this ten years ago.” Ivy mentioned, eyes scanning the land. Harley’s interest was caught. 

“Where did you learn?”

Ivy sighed, and her eyes closed for a moment, but she still answered. Harley wondered if she was entering into dangerous territory. “My parents were quite well off; they hired the best trainers for me when I was still young. It wasn’t like this though, more focused based rather than-“ One of the group managed to toss a fairly big stone towards their friend, who caught it just before impact. “Fun.” Ivy finished. 

Harley didn’t know Ivy was rich, but given her own nature, she rarely assumed anyone she knew had money. “You’re one of the richies then?”

Ivy laughed. “In a sense, but I haven’t seen my parents in years. I’m trying to get away from that life. It’s extremely... restricting.”

“How? I would die for money.”

“You wouldn’t need it then.”

“Eh, someone would. Plus, funerals are expensive.”

Suddenly Harley jumped to her feet, distracted.. “I have an idea! I’ve always wanted to spar with someone decent. C’mon, what’d ya say? Toss some rocks my way!”

Ivy seemed a bit sheepish, but she slid off her seat, dismissing it. “I don’t know, I would hate to hurt you.”

“You won’t! I swear I’m faster than anyone out there!”

Ivy shook her head. “Seriously, Harley. I’m very good.”

Harley scoffed. “Now I’m the offended one, but I guess I never gave you your demonstration either. No better time than the present!” She could tell Ivy was nervous, and reached out for her hand. “Just toss a slow one, you’ll see.”

Finally, after Harley flipped a few feet into the air to show she’s not likely to break her neck, Ivy gave in, and Harley quickly cleared an area with the others there, warning them of projectiles. Her blood was humming with excitement. 

Ivy bended the earth like she was part of it, or vice versa. She nearly hit Harley with her first toss, the blonde being so distracted by the concentration lines between Ivy’s eyebrows. She quickly woke herself up to face her, trying to ignore the way her heart sped up at Ivy’s smirk.

“Are you sure you’re ‘quick’?” Ivy asked, without giving Harley time to answer between heaving two large boulders into the air, sending them hurtling towards Harley in a locked line forward. An easy dodge for a skilled gymnast, Harley was still in the air with time for a graceful landing by the time the rocks had materialised back into the earth behind her. 

“See!” She called over, watching Ivy smiling at her from the few paces away. The sun was starting to set, and it lit up the red of Ivy’s hair like fire. She had never seen someone more beautiful. 

Ivy shrugged, but asked her if she wanted to go again. This time, the earth flew out lower, closer to her than the last, less of a warning, but less of a jump. 

Something glistened in her memory, but she brushed it aside to run at Ivy and tag her, letting her arms wrap around her as she did. Ivy’s arms felt slim around her, different from the roughhousing she usually got. 

It made her feel giddy, being there with Ivy’s laugh so close to her ear. 

Harley let carefree lips brush against Ivy’s cheek, so close to her lips but not quite there. She hadn’t kissed anyone interesting since she had left Him, and she wanted Ivy to be the one to kiss her. She needed to know Ivy wanted her before she let herself go completely. It felt strange, straining to keep herself in check, rather than diving headfirst into something she knew she wanted.

But Ivy’s stiff breathing told her enough. She kept still as a statue, as close to Ivy as she could be without kissing her. 

Ivy cracked quickly, her hands fisting the front of Harley’s jacket to pull her closer as their lips met. Harley melted into her, giving in immediately and kissing Ivy as she had wanted too since she saw her. Ivy kept it slow, lacking the urgency Harley always brought to everything she did. Harley found she liked it, and let her hands rest carefully on Ivy’s hips, making sure she stayed flush against her. 

It was worth the wait. 

When Harley got home, she fed her pets (and tried not to over water her new flower, her brain as focused as it could be on whatever knowledge of plants she had ever picked up), then climbed into bed with her pillows and tried to fall asleep. 

But her mind was racing. Thinking of Ivy. Their dates had been increasingly frequent, Harley was even skipping fights to see Ivy instead. It was surreal, and so unlike her that she worried she was in too deep too early, that she would scare Ivy away. 

Then the memory of Ivy’s eyes on her, the way they brightened when she walked into the tea shop, the way she had kissed her, it would all come back. She fell asleep easily that night, with dreams of earth and flowers dancing in her head. 

*

Ivy didn’t want to go to the games with her. Harley found that a little disheartening, but the redhead still agreed to meet her before they started for tea, so she took the company where she could take it. 

“So college starts up again next week?” Harley could barely believe the summer was ending. She wasn’t ready for the fall, but the trees were already beginning to turn, and it was impossible to ignore anymore. Ivy seemed to agree, as she seemed as exhausted as the fallen leaves. Harley had never seen her look more stressed. 

“Yes. And I need to make payments beforehand.”

“Can’t you just ask your stupid wealthy family for the change?” Harley took a long slurp of her drink and watched Ivy grimace. 

Ivy rolled her shoulders, and shook her head. “I can’t, I vowed to myself that I would never go back there.”

That felt familiar. “I get that.” Harley voiced, picking at the cookie in front of her. She hadn’t really talked about it with anyone yet, and honestly wasn’t ready to yet. Ivy gave her a look, and went back to stirring her tea. 

“They aren’t a part of my life anymore.” And suddenly she was looking up with those shiny green eyes that had Harley feeling like mush in her seat. “I’m my own person now.”

“They must be assholes, if they don’t want to you in their life.”

“Exactly.” Ivy seemed to relax again, but Harley’s mind pinged another question. 

“How have you been paying for college?”

For a moment, Ivy’s eyes blew wild, but only for a moment, before composure schooled her features back to order. “I had some savings, but it’s getting tight.” She said, taking a sip of her drink and eyeing the cup with some distaste. “Speaking of which, I need to get going soon, need to go beg the Dean for solace.”

“You’re a genius, Red.” Harley said, upset that their meeting was over. She still grinned up at Ivy though. “They wont let you go easy.” 

Ivy smiled down at her. Harley had been such a welcome distraction the past few weeks, but with reality looming over her, she felt the anxiety rumbling under her skin. She glanced at the clock.

Harley knew she was anxious, could feel it radiating off of her, and reached out a hand to touch her. She couldn’t get enough of touching Ivy since they had kissed. Not that Ivy seemed to be complaining. 

After that first time, Ivy had stayed out with her far too late, putting off leaving each time they broke apart. It made Harley feel lightheaded, to be wanted like that by a woman like Ivy. 

They hadn’t spent a day without a date since. 

Ivy sighed loudly, breaking Harley out of her thoughts. She wondered if she had been staring too much. 

“You okay, Red?”

Ivy nodded. “I need to go, but I really don’t want to leave.” 

Harley grinned at her, and Ivy couldn’t help the elation that washed through her at the sight. 

“Me neither.” Harley sighed. “But I can see ya tomorrow, right?”

Ivy glided to her feet, throwing her bag over her shoulder. She quickly bent down to Harley’s level to press and kiss to her cheek. “Any time you want, babe." The nickname slid out easily.

Harley pulled her down for a proper kiss before letting her go, chastising her for thinking she would accept anything less, and couldn’t help but gaze dreamily out at her while she left. Ivy glanced back at her once with a wink, before turning properly and walking out into the darkness. 

Harley waited another few moments before heading out to the fight, clearing the table with an extra pep in her step. She almost forgot she was on a time frame, sitting in a daze on the uncomfortable seat, without a care for anything but thoughts of the next day. 

She breezed in late to the fight, bargaining with Frank the security guard to just let her in since she had missed the start anyway (he was good for it most if the time, since Harley certainly wasn’t). 

She settled near the back, still buzzed enough that she knew she would get into a brawl with someone if she was in the pits. She watched the last matches winner, a relatively small man that was looking too proud of himself to say he knew what he was doing, round the stage with some bravado, just as the new contestant was announced. 

Harley could not believe her luck. Poison’s familiar veil made an appearance before she did, and Harley was out of her seat and diving closer before the woman was in full view. 

She wasn’t the only one. The crowd was explosive with screaming fans of carnage, and Harley found herself following through in her earlier fear to get the best view possible. 

Poison turned to look at the ruckus, and Harley could swear she looked right at her. She jumped with the rest of the jeering audience at the attention from the queen of the ring herself. 

The fighters were lined up against each other, and Harley saw the first contender no longer held his cocky stance from earlier. She almost felt sorry for him, but she was too excited to watch him get broken to care. 

When the claxon rang again, a sound that never failed to get Harley bloodthirsty, she locked on to watch Poison bend. The earth rose around her like vines, and reached out before her, dancing in front of the poor man, who could not nothing but watch them, already on defensive. As he watched, the earth only a foot away from him erupted forwards at an angle, sending him sprawling. 

Harley jumped once more to her feet, unable to watch without moving. Before he had enough time to recover, the swirls of earth around Poison finally struck him, throwing him out of bounds. 

It had been less than two minutes, and the audience didn’t even care. It was something else to watch her at work. 

However, as everyone around her screamed, Harley looked carefully at the woman in the ring. She had looked back over, her veil covering her expression of course, but Harley could swear she was looking at her, specifically at her. She narrowed her eyes, not for the first time wishing she could get used to contacts. 

Poison took the belt again, and the money, and as Harley watched the gold change hands, she suddenly felt a thought coming upon her. 

Those attacks, the money... 

It couldn’t be. 

But looking closer, she narrowed her eyes as much as she could. Poison was looking over again, getting ready to leave. Harley felt her body spring upwards. 

“Ivy?” she screamed, not really expecting the woman in stage to hear her over the crowd, but figuring that hopefully it would come across easily anyway. Poison cocked her head slightly, and turned to leave. 

*

Harley waited patiently outside of the arena. She had her arms folded to fight the chill in the air, and leaned heavily against the wall, waiting. If she was right, which she WAS, she wouldn’t be left waiting too much longer. Ivy wouldn’t let her. 

She felt insane, like maybe she had made it all up in her own head, like she was just crazy like He used to say. It made her blood run cold to think that, that he could have been right about her and maybe she wasn’t really ready to be around people again. That maybe she was meant to be by herself. She felt the spiral coming though, and gripped her own forearms hard. 

She was waiting because she ‘knew’ she was right.  
So when Ivy came sheepishly out from around the corner, distinctly not from the arena, Harley jumped out of her skin, but cackled at seeing her.

“I knew it!”

Ivy held her hands up in mock defence. “You caught me.”

“Holy fucking shit!” Harley bounded over to close the distance between them. Ivy was still in her suit from the fight, and Harley had never wanted to put her hands on her more. “Like... fuckin’ hell, Ives! What the fuck?”

Ivy seemed taken aback, her eyes wide, but as Harley closed in quick, she recovered enough to catch her in her arms. “I told you I needed money.”

“Where did you just come from?”

“I bend an exit for myself. So no one sees me.”

“I’ve been wanting to meet you for months!”

Harley felt hot with the realisation, and leaned in for a kiss with enough force to push Ivy against the wall. 

She felt Ivy’s hands on her, laid carefully on the nape of her neck, and smiled into the kiss. 

“I’m making you spar with me for real now.”

“No, Harley.”

“C’mon!” Harley was up on her tip toes to lean her forehead against Ivy’s. “I’ve been waitin’!”

Ivy rolled her eyes fondly, leaning back down to kiss Harley again. “You never told me you were looking for anyone special.” She joked, trying to downplay the way her heart was stuttering. 

Harley shrugged. “I guess I got distracted.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment, its all I have rn while trapped inside.


End file.
